Our Results

When our groups met for the first time this weekend. We agreed on an ambitious plan to find and donate books for Admiral Seymour Elementary School. When I arrived at school today it is clear that our bold plan had worked. The box of donated books had reached to over twenty books in the past few days. In addition, the books being contributed were a wide array of books ranging from kindergarten books all the way to grade seven. As a result, we decided that we would take these books to the school starting next week. We all agreed that next week would be the best time since that will give everyone the opportunity to donate. I hope that our books will be a success and cannot wait to see the reaction on their faces.

Post #7: Community

Reading the book further, I realized that the English Patient is like an elder in a community. The English patient is the focal point of the small community formed by Hana, Kip and Caravaggio. Each of them depends on the English patient to bring them together and it's obvious that none of them are sure what to do if the English patient was to pass away. However, it's also clear that they depend of each other. I think that the book is telling us the importance of community and that we should cherish what we currently have. Since, the book accentuates the importance of community, it suggests that we trust and look for help in others as a way to be successful.

Entry #6: Inquiry Question Part 2

Last week, our group decided on our inquiry question. The process was long and tedious, but we did in the end decide on the topic of altruism. This week, we decided to work on the community part of our project. Similar to choosing our inquiry question, deciding on what to do also sparked a debate among us. Many ideas were thrown out, ranging from protesting to fundraising. In the end, we decided to do a form of fundraising. Our group would go out over the weekend and help fundraiser for the Vancouver Sun Children's Fund. We determined that we would go around and collect stationaries from different stores. We hope that by helping other less fortunate individuals, we can make the world a better place. I am looking forward to the weekend that I will be having.

Love in The English Patient

Love is definitely a major theme in the book, The English Patient and many forms of it is shown throughout the story. These include both romantic and friendship love. For example, romantic love occurs between Kip and Hana and while friendship love occurs between Hana and the English patient. Since each of these people have just been through a war, they all react to love differently. I think this is significant because we, the students who are reading this book, are going to begin experiencing romantic love in the future. Thus, It is very important that we are able to distinguish between them. Furthermore by seeing how the characters in the book cope with the implications of love, we may better prepare ourselves for what is yet to come.

What I think about the characters

The book, The English Patient, does a great job at allowing the reader to connect with the characters in the book. After reading the book for a week, it has become apparent that each character in the book has been well developed with his/her unique traits. For example Hana, the nurse, has been through so much pain and suffering that she no longer wants to form attachments with other people. And Caravaggio, the spy, despite being rational on the outside, the loss of his thumbs and his feeling of vengeance have clearly altered his way of thinking and the way he views life. I enjoy book that have many characters and I like how this book continues to add new characters to keep the reader interested. I'm excited to see if any more characters will be revealed as the book continues in chapter four.

The book keeps getting better!

This week I read further into The English Patient. The story is starting to get interesting as more characters are revealed. There were many flashbacks involving the main characters like Hana and the English patient and their true feelings and experiences become exposed. The development of their characters added more depth to the story and allowed me to further connect with their thoughts. My favourite aspect about this book still remains to be its mysterious nature. I liked how the author continues to add twists to the story to keep the reader guessing. Scenes like the appearance of Caravaggio is what keeps this book a page-turner. I hope the book continues to be as interesting as it is now.

The English Patient: First impressions

Last night was when I first started reading The English Patient. The book takes place in a small war ruined village hospital somewhere in Italy. The book features many characters who each are suffering from the effects of post-war trauma in one way or another. Each of the characters depend on each other for support. I like how the book engaged my interest from the start with its mysterious opening and dark atmosphere. In addition, I like how the book continues to hook onto the reader with its descriptive nature and use of foreshadowing. So far, the book has been very engaging and I look forward to seeing how the book will continue to develop.

why did I choose this book and what I hope to learn from it

The book i chose is the English Patient Michael Ondaatje. I chose this book because  of its unique storyline. The story  follows a injured burned man in a hospital and his nurse who is looking after him. The book talks about the experiences of World War 2 and the hardships it can cause.I hope by reading this book, I can learn more about the hardships people face and how to overcome them. I hope that by furthering my understanding on topics such as these, I can dedicate myself to be able to help others who are in pain. The inquiry question I may have is how I can help others who are dealing with hardships?